NOTES ON DYE'S PUBLICATIONS

In response to the earlier question about Dye's Encyclopedia, Dave Bowers has submitted a large number of notes from his file on John S. Dye, in hope that they may stimulate some discussion. While a bit lengthy for The E-Sylum, in the interest of furthering research, here they are.

• Imprints in Cincinnati, OH; New York City, NY.
• 1847: Commenced publication of Dye's Wall Street Broker.
• 1850: Cincinnati, OH. Imprint appeared on Dye's Counterfeit Detector and Universal Bank Note Gazetteer. (Essentially, this same publication was also issued under the imprint of Joseph Arnold, Philadelphia, 1850).
• 1852: In Cincinnati he published Dye's Bank Mirror and Illustrated Counterfeit Detector.
• 1852: Title of his publication changed to Dye's Bank Mirror and Illustrated Counterfeit Detector.
• 1853: Dye's Book of Bank Note Plates, an Accompaniment to His Illustrated Bank Mirror for 1853, published in Cincinnati.
• 1854: Moved to New York City by this time; 172 Broadway at the corner of Maiden Lane. Published the semi-monthly Dye's Bank Mirror.
• 1854, circa: Published Dye's Gold and Silver Chart Manual with New York City and Cincinnati imprints.
• 1855: Began publication of Dye's Bank Bulletin. In the same decade he published Dye's Bank Mirror.
• 1855: Published first “complete edition” of his manual, Dye's Bank Note Plate Delineator. 288 pages; lists about 1,200 banks. Apparently, this manual was also issued in regional or partial editions.
• 1855: Published Bank Bulletin on a daily basis.
• 1856: In 1856, Hodges & Co., New York, introduced Hodges' New Bank Note Delineator; A Complete Spurious and Altered Bill Detector, Giving Correct Printed Descriptions of all The Genuine Notes of Every Denomination, of All Banks Doing Business Throughout the United States and Canada. This contained identical wording and some errors found in an 1855 Dye work and was either pirated from or a successor to Dye's work.
• 1856, August. The Merchants' Magazine this date carried a report of a lecture by Dye in which he told of bank note frauds, the making of fake plates for fake banks, the alternation of plates and notes, etc.
• 1858: The Litchfield (CT) Bank was insolvent. Court testimony indicated that the bank had paid nearly $1,000 in various transactions to Monroe, Dye, and Taylor, being three New York City publishers of bank note detectors; this was done “not to blow the bank.”
• 1870s and 1880s: Published Dye's Government Counterfeit Detector.
• 1879: 1338 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, opposite the U.S. Mint.
• 1883: Listed as author of Dye's Coin Encyclopaedia, but he had died by the publication date. The book was a “potboiler” issued with a pretentious “encyclopedia” title, but consisting more of a scrapbook of miscellany. However, careful perusal of its contents reveals much useful information including the processing of gold, discoveries in California, E.L. Mason, Jr.'s recitation of the re-discovery of the 1861 Confederate States of America half dollar, etc., etc. All told, it is a useful addition to any 19th century American numismatic library, but it is hardly the source for all you want to know about coins. Dye's Bank Mirror and Illustrated Counterfeit Detector.
• 1852: New title of the previous Dye's Counterfeit Detector and Universal Bank Note Gazetteer. Cincinnati, OH.
• 1854: By this time, John S. Dye had changed the title to Dye's Bank Mirror. Dye was in New York City. Dye's Bank Mirror and Illustrated Counterfeit Detector.
• 1852: Published by John S. Dye in Cincinnati, OH. Dye's Bank Mirror.
• 1854: John S. Dye, 172 Broadway at the corner of Maiden Lane. Renamed from Dye's Bank Mirror and Illustrated Counterfeit Detector, which Dye had founded in Cincinnati, OH. Dye's Bank Note Plate Delineator.
• 1855: Published in New York City by John S. Dye. Dye's Book of Bank Note Plates, an Accompaniment to His Illustrated Bank Mirror for 1853.
• 1853: John S. Dye, Cincinnati, OH.
• Dye's Counterfeit Detector and Universal Bank Note Gazetteer.
• 1850: John S. Dye, Cincinnati, OH. (Essentially, this same publication was also issued under the imprint of Joseph Arnold, Philadelphia, 1850).
• 1852: Title of publication changed to Dye's Bank Mirror and Illustrated Counterfeit Detector.
Dye's Government Counterfeit Detector.
• 1870s and 1880s: Published by William S. Dye in New York City, later Philadelphia.
• Dye's Wall Street Broker.
• 1847, circa: Published by John S. Dye.

The E-Sylum: Volume 4, Number 3, January 21, 2001, Article 9

NOTES ON DYE'S PUBLICATIONS

Wayne Homren, Editor